


Outside In

by ashmandalc



Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: 9 times out of ten this is fluff, Action, Drama, Drinking, F/M, Fluff, Romance, its brought up and handled in a healthy way, past erend/f!oc, sick!aloy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:48:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21739378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashmandalc/pseuds/ashmandalc
Summary: Everyone is watching them.They just don't realize it.(A story made in pieces where each piece is in different points of view in different situations. People catch glimpses of the two, and what is between them.)
Relationships: Aloy/Erend (Horizon: Zero Dawn)
Comments: 29
Kudos: 111





	Outside In

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this going on in my docs for well over a year now, and I've decided I'm tired of looking at it and not being satisfied. It's time to let it see the light of day. If there's enough draw, there might be more. I'm not sure yet.

“No,” Aloy growled.

“Yes.” Erend’s grin only made her frustration worse.

“ _Erend._ ”

“ _Aloy._ ”

Avad groaned, massaging his temples under his crown. The two had been at this for at least a half hour, and there still hadn’t been a decision made. There was a workshop in the village Aloy was eyeing as a place to call her own; a place to come back to. Of course, Avad was overjoyed at the thought, as was his trusted Captain. The problem came about with a Ravager sized hole left in the bottom floor of the home/shop. Bricklaying would be needed to fix it. Aloy, as a Nora native, was not well versed in this process. Erend, having helped rebuild homes since the attack three weeks ago, had learned enough to handle himself when rebuilding with brick.

“I don’t want special treatment from the king or his guards. No offense, Avad,” she added as an afterthought. He waved it away, unconcerned with his place in all this. They seemed to be on better terms than before the battle, so he’d happily take her friendship, and not read too much into things she said.

Erend groaned, pulling his gloves off to scratch at his scalp, irritated that their argument seemed to be going in circles. He plopped himself down on a seat next to her, elbows on his knees as his hands worked to emphasize and, hopefully, get his point across to her stubborn brain.

“Aloy, it’s not special treatment--”

“The captain of the Vanguard takes time off to help one particular person? Not special treatment? Are you hearing yourself, Erend?”

“I’m not doing it as some special treatment, now be quiet and _listen to me_.”

When he heard her quick intake of breath, he held his hands up in apology.

“You’re right. Wrong thing to say. Got it. I’m sorry. But, Aloy...I’m serious. Listen to me.” He tapped the back of his knuckles against her thigh, dipping his head down to meet her downturned eyes. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and Avad could tell she still seemed a bit angry. _Erend had better tread carefully._

“I’m not doing it because of some weird special treatment thing you think is happening. I’m doing it because _my friend needs help, and I want to help her._ That’s it.”

Avad watched her chew on her bottom lip for a moment.

“So you don’t feel obligated because of...”

Erend shook his head slowly.

“No. I just want to help my friend. Help her save shards she could be spendin’ to furnish a new home. Hey, I did promise you a new life if you wanted it, right? Consider this me tryin’ to keep my promise.”

She chuckled weakly, her body being pushed by his shoulder suddenly pushing against her.

“How do you even remember that? I thought you would have forgotten about that by now.”

“Pfft. You kidding me? Meeting you was the best thing that happened on that whole trip. Definitely the most fun.”

When she caught sight of his sudden cheeky grin, she snorted, her palm pushing his face until he was turned away from her. Avad grinned at the two of them, looking up at Blameless Marad. The man held a contemplative look upon his face as he studied them. He’d ask Marad later for his understanding of things once they were gone. The man had eyes and ears everywhere, after all. Perhaps he knew of some things he, as the king, did not.

Because this _definitely_ would have been something Ersa would make a comment about. And anything Ersa thought worth commenting on Avad needed to understand to the best of his ability.

~~~

Karst had known about how special Aloy was long before the rest of the Embrace had. She’d been his best customer, after all. So it was no surprise that when the matriarchs declared a state of safety for a small number of merchants to travel outside the Embrace to make connections with outsider tribes, Karst was more than happy to accept the chance. He wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

With the Derangement over with, machines were falling back into a state of calm the world hadn’t seen in two decades. This also meant a select number of Nora were a little excited to get out and see the world their Anointed had saved. Aloy had once told him the nobles of Meridian would spend obscene amounts of shards for things they thought were rare, or novelty items, and so he stocked his inventory with beads, leather-worked necklaces, bright thread, and a few braided rope bracelets dyed to match the colors most seen on Aloy’s Nora armor.

_(Yes, he fully intended to take advantage of her status as Savior to make a profit. No, he wasn’t going to tell her. Even if she did find out, he can’t imagine she’d be more than fondly exasperated with him, but proud he could fleece ignorant, rich people of their not-so-hard earned shards.)_

So, with a week and some odd days between him and the Embrace, he stood at the gate to Meridian, taking in the sunshine like he’d never seen it before. Not a cloud in the sky, no impending rain or snow. The bridge to the city was full of people milling about here and there, hocking wares or trying to move materials to the camps just outside the gate. He was treated no differently than anyone else as he stepped past the guards, eyeing the tables and booths around him. Ivy grew along walls, dripping from window planters. Oseram marched here and there, while Carja nobles glided past him with nary a glance.

A bright shot of sunkissed red sparked his memory, and he called out to the familiar face, a smile stretching his lips as she made her way to him in Carja Blazon armor. They grasped forearms, giving each other a firm shake.

“I never thought I’d see you so far from home, Karst.”

“Well, Lansra was outvoted by Jezza and Teersa, so a few of us who were willing were allowed to leave.”

Aloy huffed a small laugh, then turned and waved for him to follow.

“We’re still working on reconstruction efforts, so things are a bit messy at the moment. Might not have been the best time for you to come, to be honest.”

His face twisted in a grimace, so she backtracked to help his mood.

“That’s not to say there aren’t still stupidly rich people willing to toss some shards at something that might make them happy to look at. There just won’t be as many people.”

He nodded knowingly. The Nora had been rebuilding as well, hoping their merchants heading out could bring home more shards for materials.

After some more talking, she led him to the home she had bought, a workshop and apartment located in the village just to the left of the elevators ( _elevators! Karst had never seen anything like them, and doubted he would again)_. Another familiar face greeted them, and he recognized the man by the strip of hair down the center of his head. His armor was missing, replaced by common clothing he associated with Oseram.

“Erend’s helping get the brickwork fixed since a Ravager decided to plow through one side.”

“And you aren’t helping him? Getting someone else to do your dirty work doesn’t sound like you.”

Aloy rolled her eyes, letting out a ‘Pfft!’.

“He did what Oseram are most known for.”

“Metalwork?”

“Arguing. Everyone thinks its metalwork, but it’s arguing. He talked in circles until I got tired of hearing him, and just let him do what he wanted.”

“So he pestered his way to get what he wanted.”

“Of course.”

The man in question growled at her, pointing a dirt smudged finger at her.

“You’ve never worked with brick, Aloy. We both know you don’t know what to do here.” “As if I couldn’t just watch someone else and learn.”

“You could, sure, but then you wouldn’t get to watch me do it.” His grin was bright, his wink very suggestive. Karst stood still, not really knowing what to do. To him, it always seemed as though Aloy had a one track mind, namely her training. Where he anticipated a small battle from her, he heard a scoff from her throat and a saucy look tossed back to the Vanguardsman.

“ _Anyway_ ,” she began, ignoring the way the man watched her every move adoringly. “This is Karst. He’s a merchant from the Embrace. You know any nobles dumb enough to spare some shards for useless items?”

Karst feigned insult, pouting at her, as he listened for the answer.

“Aye, I know of plenty stupid enough right now. You need just anyone, or just ones I feel spiteful enough against to rip them off?”

She shrugged, “Both?”

He watched the man lean back against a pile of bricks as she moved to rest beside him, chatting amicably, listing names on their fingers. Karst watched them both carefully. There was a familiarity he never saw from her with anyone but Rost, shoulder brushing his arm, hand moving absently to rap her knuckles against his chest as they spoke. He watched Erend look down at her, his eyes moving from her eyes, to her hair, to her mouth then back to her eyes, only turning away so she didn’t catch him watching so intently. Instead, Karst got to watch her do the same. Eyes focusing on his shoulder, to his neck, his eyes, his smile, then to his arm as she playfully bumped him.

Karst can’t say he knew Rost _too well_ , but he’d like to think the man would be scowling to see the girl he raised to be Nora being so familiar with an outlander.

~~~

Marad had eyes and ears all over everywhere. There wasn’t anything that happened in the city that he was not made aware of in some way, form, or fashion. However, it made his job much easier to be nosy when the subjects of gossip were right in front of him. He was just a little saddened that his curiosity could be temporarily sated with the circumstances at hand.

There’d been a bad fight against bandits, and while usually these were of no issue for the Nora Savior, there had been a hunting group of enemies on their way back in the middle of the showdown. Needless to say, she barely made it out alive. Marad stood in the infirmary, watching her feverish mind twist and dig sick claws into her perception, as the words “Corruption Sickness” circled in his head. She was wild eyed, her hair a mess, backed into a corner, and near crying. No one could get near her for fear of attack.

He’d already had a maid send word to the Oseram captain that his assistance was requested, Marad knowing the man’s abilities to calm people with little effort. In the meantime, he watched her carefully, ready to step in front of the nurses should she decide to leap on the offensive. Her breathing was erratic, and her cheeks were bright with her fever, eyes glassy and unfocused. He didn’t know what it was she was seeing, but he knew it was nothing good.

Thumping steps hurried toward the room, and he slowly moved aside, watching her carefully as he did so. Erend stepped in, loudly asking what happened, but Marad clamped a hand over the man’s mouth. He made sure to still watch her as she flinched at the noise, pulling tighter into herself. He glanced up to see the man’s eyes widen on her, and he carefully pulled his hand away as the image seemed to settle in the man’s mind.

“She’s out of her mind, and panicked. We can’t get near her to cool her down so that her mind can catch up with her,” he said softly to the captain.

He saw Erend look to the nurses carrying damp cloths in their hands, the captain giving them a nod. When he took a step forward, she growled and sneered, prepping for an attack with her fists tightly clenched. Erend stopped short, hands out at his sides. Marad watched the man think through what his next move should be, then was surprised when he slowly began removing his armor. Erend’s eyes didn’t leave hers through the process of unstrapping the heavy leathers and gauntlets. Finally, when he was only in his uniform, he took a careful step forward again. 

“Aloy,” he murmured, voice soft. “Aloy, I need you to breathe, okay? Nothing’s gonna get you here.”

With his eyes still on her, he turned his head toward the nurses, waving his hand at them.

“Sit.”

The nearest one stuttered out, “W-what?”

“Sit down. You’re standing, ready to jump at her, and if she’s as sick as I was told, she doesn’t know it’s to help her. Sit down.”

Marad pressed his back against the wall, ready to act if needs called for it. Erend, on the other hand, bent himself low but continued slowly making his way to her, hands held out to her before he dropped to his knees in front of her shaking form. His head tilted forward until he could catch her eyes with his.

“Aloy, do you know what’s wrong?”

Her response was a stuttering breath, and tears falling down her cheeks. Her throat worked around a gulped breath, and she whispered quietly.

“It’s all fuzzy. It’s all just...shapes. Nothing sounds right, and it hurts when they touch. Something...something’s wrong. What’s wrong with me?”

Turning his head again, he motioned for the nearest nurse to come closer, grabbing her damp towel from her hands.

“Where do I need to put it?”

“Her face, the back of her neck.”

Marad watched him nod, gently pressing the cool towel to her hot cheek. She hissed, but grabbed his hand in hers to pull it closer. Blissfully, her eyes closed, a shudder shaking her body. With a murmured order to have the other towel given to him, he used both hands to move them over her face and neck. After a few minutes, her cheeks weren’t _as_ red, though still brighter than they should be. Her eyes still seemed hazy, but recognition sparked in them when she looked at her friend.

“Erend, something’s wrong.” Her voice was rough, cracked with tension. Erend nodded, hands moving to trade out old towels for fresh ones. The coolness caused her to sigh into his palm, as a hiccuped breath rattled the necklace beads displaced onto her shoulders. Marad watched closely for the worried smile Erend gave her, placing the towels around her neck, then moving to her side. Her eyes followed him in a daze as he put an arm under her knees while the other wrapped around her back. With ease, he lifted and carried her to the bed with mussed blankets. Once settled, he moved to sit at her side, stopping only when her nails dug into his forearm.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, choking on her words. He pulled her fingers from his arm, shaking his head.

“Uh uh. No sorries.”

“But--”

“Geez, Aloy, even when you’re half out of it, you gotta give me hell. You really don’t give a guy a break, do you?”

She chuckled wetly. Her friend kept moving the damp towel in his hand down and across her neck.

“Why do you put up with me?” Her eyes followed him still.

“Well, do you want the real answer, or the one that’ll make you laugh?”

She seemed to think on it a moment, trying to piece his words together in her mind. “Make me laugh.”

“Good answer,” he mumbled with a grin. He sighed, using the tip of one finger to poke teasingly at her cheek.

“I put up with you because if I didn’t, you’d absolutely kick my ass. Hell, you’d probably make me say thank you for it, too.”

It did bring a laugh from her, though her face soon fell into a frown.

“It’s still not right. Things still aren’t right.”

“I know, Aloy. You’ve got a pretty bad fever right now, but hopefully they can burn the cause out of your system before it does anything too bad.”

“Burn it?”

“Yup,” he says, popping the ‘p’.

“That sounds...not great.”

“You’re not wrong. I’ll give ya that.”

After a moment, he huffed out a low laugh when he noticed her eyes following him as he moved around to better reach under her head. After a moment more, he tisked and patted her shoulder.

“You really had us worried, Aloy. No more of this ‘I’m faster on my own’ when it comes to this kinda stuff, okay? Geez, I don’t think my heart can take it.”

She mumbled something tiredly, and it made the captain smile fondly at her as he tried to round her hair up into a bun, using the leather tie from the top of his tunic to keep it out of the way.

Marad nodded to the nurses, then to Erend as he made his way back to report to the king, who also had been concerned for her wellbeing. And while he wasn’t one to gossip...he would definitely be telling the king of this when he got back up there. Avad would _love_ hearing this.

~~~

“So how is she? It’s been a couple days already.”

Arla, the newest doctor on call for today, straightened her glasses, smiling up at him kindly. Politely ignoring how his eyes stayed on her patient, or how he bit his lip, she handed him a small bottle of a potion meant to help quicken injury repairs. She had never had the chance to meet the man before now, but she’d heard stories about him. Drunken bar brawls, a quick, hidden temper, but overall, the reigning opinion was that he was a good man; A good man who happened to be here for another person she’d heard stories about:

The Nora huntress. The same who was coming down from a bad case of Corruption Sickness.

“Well, at the moment, she’s unaware of most things. I gave her a heavy sleeping tonic, but it hasn’t had time to take full effect. It’s lead to some... _interesting_ conversation topics.” She looked at him, trying not to let the heat on her cheeks become too apparent.

“Oh yeah?”

“Ohhhh yes. But aside from that, she’ll recover. I have a potion here that she seemed rather hesitant to take, but it really will speed the process along. It’ll just take time, and her being still long enough to let her body heal.”

When she looked up at him again, she was greeted with a grin that seemed to find easy residence on his face. There was that charm she’d heard about from her nurses. She saw why some of them seemed excited to hear he might be visiting today.

“Yeah, good luck with holding her down,” he said.

She waved to the chair beside the cot.

“By all means, Captain. Watch over her while I take a small break. I’ve had a bit of a rushed day, as I’m sure you can imagine. Not every day the heroine of Meridian is carried through these doors. I’ve been fending off visitors since I got here.”

He agreed, accepting her offer with a friendly nudge with his elbow as he passed her. She straightened her tunic, and watched him pull his weapon from his back, leaving the hammer resting against the wall at his side. Arla shook her head, turning to walk out just as she heard her patient murmur his name. Curious, she looked back to find the captain holding Aloy’s head up, getting her to drink the potion in his hand. The doctor turned away to continue walking out the door, though she can hear the chair shuffle against the floor, which she assumed to mean he moved closer to her patient.

There were two stories proven that day:

The Captain of the Vanguard could be a very charming man when he wanted to be.

The Captain of the Vanguard was, indeed, very close to Aloy of the Nora.

She decided she would hold out judgement on the other stories until she could gather more evidence.

~~~~

As Erend’s second in command, Doren knew his captain, _had_ known him for years. He knew him when he and Ersa were starting to meet with Avad for meetings about the revolution. He knew him when he’d had his heart broken for the first time, his girl not wanting to follow him out of the Claim. He’d watched him pick himself up (with a bit of help from Ersa), and now he watched him truly begin to move on with his life. He could be a bit of a hardass, but he usually saved that for if the situation called for it.

The scene before him was not one of those times. They were all too busy for him to play at being the hardass.

He’d come with Erend and Aloy to a few final plots of land outside the city where bandits gathered, and they were ready to fight and destroy the last of the thieves and killers. He’d come prepared for the battle ahead, axe raised to swing at a sniper that had fallen from her perch. The bandit immediately stopped struggling to kick at him, instead trying to shuffle away from him. His axe fell, and so did she, lifeless on the ground.

Aloy had climbed above them, resting on a stand built in the trees, while Erend rushed forward, hammer raised to attack. With several frost arrows stuck in between armor plates, the heavy hitter was slowed near to a standstill as he tried to push the ice off his body, and the time spent trying to do that allowed the hammer to connect with great force at the junction where neck meets shoulder. The man cried out, collapsing under the pain, but was silenced with an arrow through his now-visible neck.

Another gunner sprinted forward after dropping his firearm, fist aimed right for Erend’s head, only to be stopped by a pair of fire arrows aimed at his chest. Another fire arrow flew towards a barrel of blaze nearby, and the explosion rocked the ground beneath them, but left three more bandits lifeless on the ground. An Elite Fighter charged, hands clasped and raised to drive her hands onto the back of Erend’s neck, but she didn’t count on the spinning swing her target gave, the sharp edge of his hammer catching her just under her ribs. She choked as blood left her body, and groaned when he kicked her aside, pulling his hammer loose from her falling body.

A hiss of steam made them all turn, both men calling out for Aloy to jump but a little too late. A ravager, having heard the commotion, pressed its weight on the tree, snapping it in half and bringing her down with a thud into the grass. Doren heard the breath leave her lungs in a rush, sure she was dazed and stunned. Both vanguards ran forward, Erend with his bow out and pulled taut, Doren with his axe in both hands. Arrows were let loose, stunning the machine for a moment, allowing them time to reach her, and for Erend to replace his bow with his hammer once more. While Doren brought the axe down to the center of its belly, Erend charged forward with his hammer held out like a battering ram. The spike at the end was pushed through the middle of its head with such force, the plating caved in on itself, coolant and oil flying. Hammer raised, the captain brought it back down right to the point where the spike made entry. The light in its body sputtered then died when a sudden spear stabbed through its shoulder.

The three stood breathless and taking in their injuries, Erend and Doren quickly looking to Aloy to make sure she was alright. Doren nodded to her when she nodded back, and watched Erend’s hand engulf her shoulder. Her hand came up to his wrist, patting it comfortingly as she grinned at him, her hair a mess with leaves and mud.

An Elite Heavy roared behind them. Quickly, they each spun around, leaping out of his way as he pushed forward without care to where he ended up. As Doren was lifting his axe again, he was pushed aside by Erend, who was circling around while Aloy ran to the bandit. She dropped to the muddy ground, sliding through grass and grime, using her spear to knock the Heavy behind the knees, bringing him down moments after she rolled away. Erend ran forward, hammer already on its way down to the man’s skull. Doren winced at the noise it made when it hit, and coughed at the sucking sound when Erend pulled it back.

Aloy was lying stretched out on the ground, taking calming breaths as Erend moved to stand above her, watching her with a grin. He held his hand out after a few moments, and lifted her. He smiled brightly at the flush across her face, and the pride he saw there, while Doren watched in silence.

He knew the other guys liked teasing Erend about Aloy. They’d made it no secret what they thought of the two together. _“You gonna kiss her, Captain?”_ rolled through his mind, also followed by the command that they shut up and couldn’t she just forget that happened? Doren wouldn’t lie: He felt a strong urge to say it as Erend’s eyes followed her as she moved around the camp, looting the pockets of the dead, and checking their supply crates. The man couldn’t have hid the smile on his face if he tried, and Doren wished so hard that Ersa had been here to see it. She’d have loved Aloy, and she’d have loved seeing her brother becoming the man she always knew he could be.

She also would have joined with the others in teasing him relentlessly about her, and really, solidarity was what mattered when in a group of mercenaries-turned-royal-guards.

~~~

When she left the Claim, Temre had followed the usual routes that merchants took, wanting to see places she’d never seen, meet people who were of a different culture than her. Anyone, really, as long as it wasn’t her ex husband. With a few muttered curses at the thought, she shook her head clear and kept marching to the city on the mesa. It was just as beautiful as she’d heard it would be, the sun lighting the sky behind it, the Spire reflecting spots of light across the land. People milled about here and there, guards posted every few meters on the bridge to watch the comings and goings of the people.

She’d heard Erend had moved here after his days as a Freebooter. Sweet guy. She thought back on their time together amicably, as they both had been so young. While she didn’t regret parting ways, she did regret how she went about it. With age comes wisdom, as they say. Promising to leave with his group of fighters, then backing out the day of wasn’t quite the best way to go about it. It had left him more than a little bit hurt, she was sure, and she’d take it back if she could; find another way to break things off earlier than she had, hopefully making things easier on them both.

The guards let her through after a quick check of her purpose for coming to the city, and she was free to roam. Merchants worked booths, where their goods hung from ropes, or were placed on tables. Some salesmen offered armor they posed on mannequins. Every piece she saw was a wonder of brilliance. The Claim didn’t have colors quite like the Carja did. Bright blues, deep reds, shimmering violets. Things she never knew people could wear, made of fabric that felt as though it’d rip if she wasn’t careful enough. Nobles swayed past her, gliding on light feet, ignoring her entirely. She knew now why people made claims about “Carja-Beauty” when they talked about how the cultures differed in appearance. The nobles of this city were handsome, indeed, though more than a bit snobbish for her tastes.

She wandered some more, removing her leather cap from her black curls to wipe at the sweat gathering on her forehead, then came up short at the sight in front of her.

He was wearing armor of the finest make, it seemed. Well sewn, metal plates evenly placed along his person. His boots even held pieces of metal. The helmet on his head covered his hair, but she felt certain the strip of brown hair down the center still had its place, if the bit pressed down above his eyes was any indication. He was with a couple of his men, pointing to a map, and delegating patrol shifts. He turned her way, pointing to a post just past her toward the large set of steps she’d passed on her way here, then came to a stop to stare at her. It seemed to take a moment to process, and he only moved after she slowly waved at him with a knowing smile on her face. He lit up and shoved the map at another guard’s chest and made his way to her, arms open. She gratefully responded in kind, both laughing loudly in the crowd.

“Temre! Hammer to steel, it’s good to see you! How have you been?”

She laughed brightly, “Oh, I’m fine. Got tired of waiting around for my old man to grow a heart, and wanted to see what all the fuss was about down south.”

“Oh, man. Well, I’m glad you made it here! Hey, how’s about when I get off work, I can show you around? Introduce some folks? Oh, hey, you got a place to stay?”

She shook her. “Not yet, but I been lookin’.”

He clapped her back, leading her away and back toward more residential areas. He pointed out various merchants, noting which ones to trust and which ones to give hell to. He stopped at a food stand, trading shards for two things that looked like steamed vegetables on sticks, though they had flakes of some kind of pungent spice on them. She coughed and sputtered then dug in again before they winded into an alley and stopped in front of an intricately carved wooden door. He unlocked it and stepped inside, motioning for her to follow. She looked around curiously, taking in the state of his home as she dropped her bag beside the door.

The home looked _comfortable_ , which was odd when she thought of the wandering spirit in the boy she knew. It looked settled, and lived in. A couch against the wall to the left after she walked in, detailed Carja rug beneath it in front of the fireplace. A small table beside the couch close to her held two large candles, one taller than the other with fresh wax. A silk divider separated his dining/kitchen space from the stairs immediately to her right. A few steps further showed another door against the wall behind the stairs. She nodded in appreciation.

“You’ve quite a life for yourself here, Erend.”

He nodded, smiling happily at her praise.

“It’s been tough at times, but worth it, for the most part.”

Temre remembered the news that had spread over the Claim of Ersa’s death, and nodded quietly at him with a sincere look in her eyes. He nodded back, then cleared his throat, arms stretched out to either side of him.

“Make yourself at home. Bed’s upstairs if you wanna nap. Got some bread on the counter back there, water in the bucket beside the cabinets. Should be set.”

Her lips stretched in a grin, pulling him in again for another hug.

“I’m so glad to see you’re okay,” she murmured. She felt his hands grip her tight before patting her back and pulling away.

“I’m glad _you’re_ okay! You’re gonna have to tell me about that old man. Tonight? At the tavern?”

With a nod, he walked out to finish his work day. Temre set about pulling out clean clothes before disappearing upstairs for that nap.

When she woke, the sun was going down. The slotted wooden pieces covering the front of his balcony showed her candles being lit outside to help usher in the night. She scrubbed her face of the sleep, and changed into fresh clothes before stepping downstairs, only to gasp at the sight before her.

A Nora was sitting on Erend’s floor, her back against the couch, as she fiddled with some mechanical contraption in her hands. She mumbled to herself, making adjustments to what looked like a heavy metal sphere. When Temre cleared her throat, the woman was startled away from her project.

“Oh. Hi.”

Temre watched the stranger carefully.

“Does Erend know you’re here,” she asked carefully. The Nora nodded quickly.

“Oh, yeah. I told him I needed a different place to think. Things were looking too much the same in my place. Couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong. But I think I’ve got it now.”

Temre nodded oddly at her.

“I’m Aloy,” the woman said, standing to offer her hand. Temre took it, offering her own name.

“I think he forgot to tell me you might be coming over,” she said. Aloy’s lips pulled to one side and she shrugged.

“To be fair, I didn’t really ask him this time. I’m just sorta...running on the assumption that the last time he offered his place, it was an open invite. I...do you think he’ll be mad?” The Nora began chewing on her lower lip, hands nervously dragging along the sphere. “I mean, I don’t _think_ he’ll be mad. I don’t think he’s ever actually been mad at me. Maybe a little disappointed at times, but never mad.” Aloy seemed to be talking to herself at this point, turning to sit back down surrounded by her tools and pieces of scrap. Temre watched her work in silence until the man himself showed up an hour or so later, dragging his feet and covering a yawn. He smiled tiredly at Temre then seemed to notice his other company when a low curse left her pretty mouth.

“Aloy! You’re back!”

Temre watched her nod up at him, not even bothering to get up from her spot for him. He made himself comfortable next to her on the couch. He poked a tool with his boot.

“Whassat?”

Aloy snapped her hand over to slap him away.

“It’s delicate and doesn’t need your big feet crushing it.”

“Ha ha. But really. What is it? Did you find something new this time when you were out?”

Temre sat down at the dining table, chair turned to watch them interact. Aloy paid him no mind as he asked his questions, answering when she could, but keeping her hands busy with the sphere. She tapped at a thing on her temple, looking at empty air while Temre studied the glow above her ear. Erend cleared his throat, tapping Aloy’s shoulder, nudging her to look at Temre.

“Oh. Yeah, um. It’s called a Focus. I’ve been told I look like I’m zoning out, but I promise I’m still here.”

Erend scoffed good naturedly. “Yeah sure, because I haven’t had to repeat your name seven times in the past to get you to tell me what you wanted for supper.”

It suddenly clicked in Temre’s mind.

“Oh! You two are together! That makes a bit more sense now.”

Both of them paused mid argument to look at her oddly. Erend shook his head quickly, while Aloy just looked confused.

“No, no. We’re not...we’re not together, Temre,” he quickly replied. His eyes seemed to look down at the Nora in worry. Temre suddenly felt like that absolute worst person in the world. She knew that look. She recognized it immediately. She’d been friends with Erend for years in their youth, and no amount of growing would change the fact that when he fell, he fell _hard_. It seemed this time it was for someone who didn’t know, for whatever reason. He hadn’t told her, and didn’t want her to know.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to assume. I just thought, since she was so comfortable with you to just...walk in when you weren’t even at home…”

“Oh...yeah...I uh...I didn’t actually _ask_ you this time, but I just sorta showed up and let myself in. I’m sorry,” Aloy said, looking over her shoulder to him. He shrugged it off, and Temre felt her heart ache for him.

“I told you. Whatever you need. If I’m not here, just take it. Leave a note or something.”

Temre stood, clapping her hands once.

“Well, I need to freshen up a bit after my nap, then Erend said he’d take me to a tavern. Do you wanna come?”

Temre could feel his eyes on her, though she paid it no mind while looking at the other woman.

“I...I don’t know. I just got back in, and I’m pretty filthy, I won’t lie. I could use a good bath. Tell me where you’re going, and I’ll meet you there after a while?” She turned to look back at him, satisfied when he gathered his sense of self enough to nod at her. She smiled, gathering her things in a pack, and toting the orb under her arm. She pulled at the tunic she wore, grimacing.

“I’m covered in oil and grease, and smell more than a little bad right now with all the hunting, so it might take a while. Don’t wait on me to order food.”

Then she was out, and Temre looked to Erend as soon as the door closed. His bottom lip was pulled between his teeth as he watched the door, then he sighed, standing slowly and making his way to the stairs.

“Erend, I’m so sorry,” she whispered. 

He looked at her kindly, and she felt even worse when he shrugged at her. “It’s okay. I’m used to that kinda thing. The men give me all kinds of hell when she’s around.”

“So...she doesn’t know?”

“No, and she’s not going to. I’d rather have my best friend, than have her avoid me for the rest of my life.”

Temre heard the warning beneath the words and nodded.

~~~~

The night was a hit, she thought. She met with his men, or those that weren’t on patrol at the time, and learned so many things about the city they call home. Carja nobles were snobby shits, some man named Marad was creepy as fuck but overall a good guy, the king was young but incredibly well suited for his role, and Aloy of the Nora was everyone’s _favorite person_. She had yet to hear a bad word uttered about her, and she couldn’t tell if that was because Erend was there, or if they really just couldn’t find anything bad to say.

She got the chance to know Aloy a bit better as she teased and joked with Erend’s soldiers, sarcasm a fluent language for the woman. A few men stumbled to the table, offering her anything she wanted if she’d give them a chance, and she watched as the woman’s face darkened. A few barked “No”s followed by Erend and five of his men standing at the table chased them off well enough. When she asked about it, Aloy told her this had been a common problem since the battle. No one actually cared about her until she became something useful in a fight, then it was like they couldn’t have imagined life without her. No more was said, but when Temre looked to Erend, he was looking into his mug, seemingly ignoring their conversation.

Then Aloy started talking about Erend.

Erend helped her saved the world. Temre knows this, because his men did hardly anything for an entire hour but sing his praises during the battle after Aloy brought it up. So she knows, now, about how the Derangement was ended. She knows about the Shadow Carja that wanted to overthrow Avad by bloody force. She knows about the machine with the wicked voice that called for Aloy’s termination. She heard about the Nora braves who answered Aloy’s call to arms (and also how they seemed to treat her as some mystical religious icon, which no one but Aloy really knew why, and she wasn’t telling). 

The Hunting Lodge’s Sun Hawk was there during the fight, as well. One man talked about how beautiful she looked after the fight, scrounging through dead machines, covered in grease and blood. One Nora brave, who Aloy had told her was named Varl, had stayed as well during the final fight. Erend commended the man in his fierce style of fighting, and the cunning he displayed. He also said, with a side eye to the besotted man from before, that Talanah Khane Padish ( _“Frenek, you gotta let that go. She’s already told you no.” “I know, boss...but she’s so pretty…” “She also has no problem mopping the floor with your ass.”_ ), aka the Sun Hawk, was absolutely brilliant with a bow. He had watched her plan tactical scenes in her head moments before calling her plan to action. She set up the best shots, and got their enemy ready for their attacks.

Temre felt a little bit in love with the woman, in all honesty. She loved a smart woman who could kick ass. She made a hazy note in her inebriated mind to find this Talanah Khane Padish, and introduce herself.

Eventually, Erend called his men out, telling them they’d all be regretting the hangover in the morning if they didn’t get moving. Aloy waved goodbye before making toward the elevators, Erend and Temre waving back. She followed him home, the air clearing her mind a bit, along with the stretching of her aching muscles. When they finally made it in, she stopped at the stairs, watching him putter around by the fireplace.

“I get it,” she said kindly, “I get why you love her. She sounded...amazing. Oddly humble, too, given everything that’s happened.”

He quietly chuckled.

“Now you see why I don’t plan on her ever knowin’. She already thinks people only want to be around her because of all she’s done.”

She hummed and nodded, watching him closely.

“Did you know...she was an outcast? Did she mention that tonight?”

“I think she said something about it, but she didn’t go into detail.”

He nodded, “Yeah. She was an outcast since birth. She knew no other life than living out away from people. No friends, no family. The guy that raised her, also outcast, was the only person she had any real amount of contact with. The Nora treated her like she was less than nothing, and now? Now they want her to stay with them _always._ She’s their Anointed, their Savior. The best thing that’s ever happened to them. Load of shit, if you ask me.”

She suddenly felt irritated on the other woman’s behalf, and knew for sure she’d not look at another Nora quite the same. So she judged them too quickly. Psh. It was a fault she had, and she had many. Being angry at people she didn’t know was right up her alley. “I can break some faces if I need to.”

“No, no. She’ll think I siced you on them. Or that I did it because I have offered in the past. I laughed when I said it, but she knows all she had to do was point the direction she wanted me to start swinging.”

She nodded, giving herself a moment to collect her thoughts. They moved from Aloy to Erend, and how he’d been all night. For the most part, she’d expected him to be awkwardly quiet around the Nora. Instead, he’d been his boisterous self, slapping shoulders, and laughing so loud it echoed on the walls. He didn’t even act oddly around _her_ , which had been her biggest concern before she saw him again.

“Ya know...I was half afraid I’d find you here. I thought for sure you’d have some angry, choice words for me. Maybe a few ‘Get lost’s or ‘Fuck you’s.”

He turned to her, confused and worried. His mouth opened to speak, but she interrupted him. “I know I messed up--”

Erend shook his head, shoulders slumping when he realized what she was talking about. “Temre, we don’t have to do this.”

“Yeah, we do. I need to apologize to you. I knew I wasn’t happy, but I didn’t want to hurt you. Instead, I made it worse, waited too long, dragged it out. And I’m sorry.”

“Temre,” he sighs, “we were kids. We weren’t supposed to know how it was supposed to work.”

“But it didn’t make it hurt any less,” she whispered. He stood straighter, shrugging his shoulders, and cleared his throat.

“I think I hated saying goodbye to my friend more than I did my girlfriend,” he said, sincerity shining in his eyes.

She chuckled. “You were my best friend, too.”

They smiled at each other, then he pushed at her shoulder. “But seriously. You’re taking the bed tonight. If you take the couch, I’ll just sleep on the floor.”

She groaned, punching his side, smiling when a soft ‘oof!’ came out. “Fine, you jackass. I’ll take the damn bed.”

~~~

Arla saw her previous patient sitting on a boulder just outside the village, the captain seated in front of her, tunic and armor left in a pile at his side. Aloy was gently touching the skin around a bleeding wound on his back, thumping the back of his head when he made some remark the doctor couldn’t make out. She heard the low rumble in his chest as he chuckled; watched him reach back with a hand to pat the huntress’s knee. Arla stepped closer, clearing her throat, and smiled when they both jumped and turned their heads to her. She held up her basket, showing the jars of salve and bandages she had brought with her.

“Blameless Marad came to me with a mission.”

The captain grunted, and Aloy rolled her eyes at him.

“So what exactly happened?”

She saw his face turn red when the Nora turned to glare at him.

“This idiot decided to be a hero and jump in front of a mad Sawtooth.”

“It was coming right for you, Aloy!”

“And I had it handled!”

Arla watched closely as he frowned, purposely not answering his friend. She never thought someone as big as he was could shrink so much under one look. He turned his head forward again, fingers knotted together over his crossed legs. She caught Aloy’s eyes softening after a moment of staring at the back of his head, quietly apologetic as her gentle touches resumed along his back and carefully cleaned blood away. She decided in that moment to step forward, handing a jar to Aloy. With the basket set at her feet, she helped clean a number of smaller cuts he sported on his arms as they sat in silence.

“So, how long have you two known each other,” she asked, trying to lighten the awkward mood. She stepped away to her basket once more to reach for clean bandages.

“3 years--” “4 years.”

She watched their bodies stiffen, him looking over his shoulder at her, her squinting at him, mouth twisted almost into a pout.

“It’s been just over 3 years, Erend.”

“No, it’s been closer to 4.”

“I think I’d know how old I am.”

“Yeah, well so do I. I also remember the months between your visits, and I knew almost _to the day_ how long you’d been gone. It’s been 4 years. We met before the Proving--”

“Yeah we _met_ but we didn’t actually know anything about each other until months later.”

“Oh, please. I had you pegged from day one.”

“You’re so full of it, Erend.”

“At least I know how to count.”

“ _Erend._ ”

“ _Aloy._ ”

Arla watched the back and forth as they huffed, resolutely ignoring the other. His fingers began picking at a bit of mud stuck to his boot. The doctor made sure to keep her silence, not wanting to break the ice. After a few more minutes, Aloy seemed unable to continue on with the icy quiet between them.

“I don’t need you to step in the way for me,” she mumbled.

“But I’m gonna do it. You have to know that, Aloy,” his voice low, then Arla realized they’d both forgotten she was there. No matter that she was standing _right there_. And really, she was weak for the story of them. No one knew anything for certain beyond their captain working harder after meeting Aloy, while the huntress was so busy, she seemed to never be home.

“I can take the hit, Erend. I grew up taking them.”

“I know. But I’m not gonna let it happen if I can stop it. If anything happens to me, the world keeps going; it won’t matter. Something happens to you?” He sighed, a rough hand wiping down his brow.

“If something happens to you…” Arla watched him gulp down a breath, his eyes watching the treeline in the distance, but not really seeing the nature around them.

Aloy stopped moving, staring intently at the tattoo on his shoulder. She sighed, “I know. If something happens to me, there won’t be anyone to fix problems with GAIA and CYAN.” 

He turned his head to the side, not quite looking at the Nora. More like he was moving his ear closer to make sure he heard her right. His large hand moved behind him, resting on the rock just an inch from her knee.

“No, if we lose you, they’d lose me too.”

Arla heard the sharp intake of breath from the woman at his back. Aloy’s hand hesitantly reached out to lightly touch his bicep, his muscle jumping beneath her fingers. After a moment of surety, she tightened her grip on him.

“I guess we can agree neither of us would be the same either way,” she whispered, leaning close and her eyes focused on his earring. Arla felt that perhaps these kinds of conversations were ones not common for the Nora to have. She felt her heart jump, followed by a slight twinge of guilt at having stayed when she obviously shouldn’t have.

But, damn if she wasn’t glad she did.

She cleared her throat, causing both of them to jump away, their faces burning. Erend pulled himself from the boulder, hurriedly tossing his shirt on while avoiding looking at either of them. Aloy followed suit, gathering her things, before nodding to them both and walking away.

“Umm…” the captain started, looking to the grass between their feet, then awkwardly meeting her eyes.

“I won’t say anything.” Arla smiled at him as Aloy moved further toward the trees in the distance.

Erend nodded, coughing into his hand, then waved his farewell to her before making his way to the elevators at the city’s edge.

Two more stories were proven to her today:

3\. The huntress was oddly watchful of the Captain for his own safety.

4\. The huntress wasn’t very good at understanding emotions in regards to her person.

 _I’m so very glad I came before heading home,_ Arla thought as she gathered the materials left behind in the rush.

~~~~

Talanah had waited all damn day to get out of the lodge. Aloy had come back from her latest trip out into the world, and she needed to hear new stories. The hunters of the lodge swiftly got on her nerves with stories of “ _I swear, it was_ this _big.”_ She wanted adventure, risk, and most importantly, she wanted her damn friend back. She reached the end of the bridge leading out of the city, and stopped when she saw the shock of red that signalled her friend. Talanah started to raise her hand and call out to her, but stopped at the look on her face, her eyes following her line of sight until she also stopped to stare.

Of all things in the world, Talanah Kahn Padish had never thought she’d look at Erend Vanguardsmen and think _‘I didn’t know he had that going on under all that armor._ ’

The only part of him that was clean was his bare torso as he pulled his tunic off. The rest of him was covered in a thick layer of mud, interrupted by lines where he had obviously tried to wipe some off his face. She was more than a little uncomfortable watching his back move as he bent down to pull a pot of water from a barrel to pour over his head, letting more mud rinse away. He ran his hands through his hair, then shook the excess water from his head. She shook herself out of the episode she was having, and looked back to Aloy. Oh, if she could have a picture of this. She’d never let Aloy live it down.

Her hand was up over her heart as she stared unrepentantly at his back, his shoulders moving as he kept trying to clean himself off. Aloy licked her lips, as her head tilted. Talanah saw her start to step forward, then stop, dropping her hand to fist at her side. She looked down and away, fingers fidgeting with some rope tied around her waist. Aloy turned away entirely when Erend muttered a curse, and growled when some mud wouldn’t come off his hands.

Talanah stepped forward, and cleared her throat. “So what happened here, Captain?”

Erend turned at her voice, a grimace clear on his face. “Hammer to steel, Padish, it was not my fault this time.”

She looked to Aloy, who was still looking away from him. “And what say you, O’ Mighty Savior?”

Aloy coughed then shrugged, giving a noncommittal noise. Erend sent a frown at her then sighed. He looked down to the pile of armor and his tunic by his feet, then bent to start collecting it all. He walked past her, bumping her with his elbow in a bit of humor. She watched him go, not certain how to feel with this new information. Turning to Aloy, it seemed she felt the same. When her friend made it to her side, Talanah wrapped an arm around Aloy’s to walk with her.

“So…”

“So…?”

Talanah glanced to Aloy’s pink face before looking back at Erend. “Are you suddenly as thirsty as I am? Because suddenly I am just _parched_.”

Aloy choked, using her free hand to smack her friend.

“I think I know where I can find some water,” Talanah said, knowing full well that Aloy knew exactly the source. Aloy huffed, scoffed, almost laughed, then exhaled while Talanah grinned.

~~~

Arla was caught once again by the sight of them outside the palace, just past the first set of steps, though this time she had been on her way home after a long day at the clinic. Itamen had caught quite the cold, and of course, their king wanted to make certain his little brother would be just fine.

This time, the view she caught was strangely intimate, given their public setting.

The captain stood, facing the bridge entering Meridian, while Aloy stood just in front of him, her back to his chest. She seemed to be moving his hand in the air as though something where there. When she quietly passed behind them, she caught sight of a glow just above his ear. She heard Aloy muttering softly, “I think this is the right one. Do you see a little triangle about...here?” Her other hand arose to move through the air in the center of their vision. When he nodded, a hum of ascent quiet on his breath, Aloy seemed to sag against him with a small smile. She moved his hand to the spot she had shown him, and Arla watched him jump as though startled. She didn’t see anything in the open space in front of them, except the barrier keeping them from toppling off through open air. Suddenly, she remembered being told of the device the huntress had that no one else could use.

“How do you keep up with this?” His voice was full of wonder, eyes wide as he stared at the air.

Aloy shrugged, an easy smile stretching her lips. “I was really young when I found it, so I had a while to get used to it. The first one I saw got me, too. It had happened the first time I put it on. A father sending a message to his son. I used to play it over and over…”

From her spot, she saw him wrap an arm around Aloy’s waist, a small hug while he played around with what he was seeing. The young woman rested her hands on his arm, and Arla felt a warmth settle in her chest before she turned to continue her way quietly away from them.

Another few stories to mark off on her list:

1\. While she’d known he was a goner for the huntress, it was incredibly satisfying to see Aloy thought as much of him as he did for her.

2\. When they were together, it was very easy to sneak past them, as they only paid attention to one another when alone.

3\. The technology Aloy used was something from tales of the Ancient ones, and learning one could leave messages to be seen hundreds of years ahead brought a bittersweet pang to her heart.

~~~


End file.
